John Cena’s status as a free agent hasn’t been utilized yet on WWE programming, but the fans knew it was only a matter of time before WWE officials brought him to Raw. It has been rumored that Cena will begin a feud with Jinder Mahal over the WWE Championship heading into WWE Summerslam. For a little longer, Cena will remain loyal to SmackDown Live, but that is expected to change towards the end of the summer.

In August, John Cena is being advertised for some Raw live events throughout New England and some other cities. However, it has been reported that John Cena is scheduled to face Samoa Joe for the first time inside a WWE ring during a Raw live event in Tupelo, Mississippi, on August 27. As of this writing, there is no confirmation, but the expectation is he’ll be moving to Raw shortly after Summerslam next month.

Both Cena and Joe will be involved in the WWE Universal Title Match and the WWE Championship Match at WWE Summerslam. Neither man is expected to leave Brooklyn with either title, but the powers that be showcasing their first encounter during an average live event is an indication that WWE officials have huge creative plans for Cena vs. Joe to begin their long anticipated rivalry after the biggest party of the summer.

[Image by WWE]

Originally, there were some plans for Cena and Joe to feud heading into WrestleMania 33. The plans were for Samoa Joe to dominate Cena and write him off WWE television for months. However, the decision was made for “The Destroyer” to be moved to Raw instead, but John Cena’s new status as a free agent on WWE programming has given the powers that be the option to begin a massive feud between Cena and Joe soon.

[Image by WWE]

On paper, WWE officials could just be trying to boost ticket sales for WWE live events after Summerslam, but Cena vs. Joe is a rivalry that wrestling fans have been dying to see for over 15 years now. There will be a lot of attention on their match in Tupelo, Mississippi, at the end of August. John Cena’s schedule has a lot more dates with the red brand, which means his move to Raw and a feud with Samoa Joe are plausible.